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SHRC-Launch-Seminar Sindh Human Rights Commission Seminar: Increasing Incidents of Suicides and Launch of Annual Report 2018-2019 January 17, 2020 Hotel Mehran, Karachi Table of Contents About the Sindh Human Rights Commission.......................................................................................................1 Proceedings: Seminar on ‘Increasing Incidents of Suicides’ and Launch of Annual Report 2018- 2019..........................................................................................................................................................................................2 Background: Annual Report 2018-2019...................................................................................................................3 Welcome Note by Justice (Retd) Majida Razvi, Chairperson, SHRC............................................................3 Keynote speech by Syeda Shehla Raza, Minister for Women Development, Sindh..............................5 Panel Speakers....................................................................................................................................................................6 Dr Haroon Ahmed, Pakistan Association of Mental Health.....................................................................6 Mr Azhar Mirza, Pakistan Medical Association..............................................................................................7 Karamat Ali, PILER & Provincial Commission for Public Safety & Police Complaints...............7 Anis Haroon, Senior Activist and Former Member Sindh, National Human Rights Commission..................................................................................................................................................................8 Justice (Retd) Shahnawaz Tariq, Provincial Ombudsman, The Protection Against Harassment of Women at The Workplace.......................................................................................................9 Closing Remarks..............................................................................................................................................................10 Recommendations..........................................................................................................................................................10 About the Sindh Human Rights Commission The Sindh Human Rights Commission is a statutory body with a mandate to protect fundamental human rights in the province of Sindh, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Commission is empowered to hold inquiry, suo moto or on a petition, into cases of human rights violations, recommend to the government remedial measures, review policies and legislation on human rights protection from the perspective of human rights, undertake research and promote awareness of laws, procedures and safeguards available for human rights protection. The Commission is also mandated to visit government facilities and institutions (i.e. jails, shelters) to review living conditions of inmates and make recommendations for improvements. Established in 2013 under the Sindh Protection of Human Rights Act 2011, the Commission functions under the Sindh Human Rights Commission Rules 2013. The Commission is led by Chairperson, Justice (Retd) Majida Razvi, and supported by six members. Out of six members, two are full-time members qualified as District and Sessions judges - Syed Hassan Shah Bukhari - District and Session Judge (Retired), Muhammad Aslam Shaikh - Additional District and Session Judge. Two members come from the Provincial Assembly - Kulsoom Akhtar Chandio - MPA, Sindh, Farhat Seemen - MPA, Sindh. And two are drawn from the civil society - Syed Zulfiqar Shah - Human Rights and Civil Society Activist, Pushpa Kumari - Civil Society and Minority Rights Activist; and Ms Abida Lodhi is the Secretary of the Commission. As an independent body delegated to work for the protection and promotion of human rights in the province, the Commission extends its services indiscriminately to all individuals reaching out for petitions. Since its establishment, the Commission has undertaken close to over 800 cases. It has led review of laws and implementation mechanisms, capacity building programmes of stakeholders in public and civil society sectors, and also led the process of review of mechanisms for implementation of the conventions related to the trade incentive of GSP+, extended to Pakistan. As per law, the Commission conducts board meetings every quarter. It also follows an annual work plan drawn from its consultation-led 5-year Strategic Plan. SHRC also takes out annual report every year to share its activities and future plans with stakeholders and general public. 1 Proceedings: Seminar on ‘Increasing Incidents of Suicides and Launch of Annual Report 2018-2019 The Sindh Human Rights Commission organized an event to launch its 5th Annual Report 2018- 2019 and a seminar titled ‘Increasing Incidents of Suicides’ to highlight the issue of suicides in Sindh, as well as initiate dialogue surrounding its roots. Members of theCommission and panellists at the event launch of the Annual Report 2018-2019 Participants at the event included members of SHRC, other commissions of the Government of Sindh, members of the civil society, government officials, public representatives, health professionals and media. The panel speakers included Dr Haroon Ahmed, Pakistan Association of Mental Health; Mr Azhar Mirza, General Secretary, Pakistan Medical Association; Karamat Ali, Executive Director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research; Anis Haroon, Former Member National Human Rights Commission; and Justice (Retd) Shahnawaz Tariq, Provincial Ombudsman, The Protection Against Harassment of Women at The Workplace. The event was moderated by researcher Zeenia Shaukat and Zulfiqar Shah, Member Commission representing the Civil Society. To commence the proceedings of the event, Zeenia Shaukat presented an overview of the Commission’s work in the past five years and also briefly shared the summary of the Annual Report 2018-2019 with the participants. Background: Annual Report 2018-2019 The Sindh Human Rights Commission has been regularly publishing its annual report since the time it started its operations in 2014. The report covers details of the Commission’s activities. The report serves the interest of transparency and presents the Commission’s obligation to serve the public. During the period of 2018-2019, the Chairperson SHRC presents a bouquet to Provincial Minister Syeda Shela Raza 2 Commission monitored at least 337 cases of human rights abuses across Sindh, with Karachi leading with 114 cases, followed by Umerkot, Qambar Shahdadkot and Tando Allahyar with 24, 18 and 17 cases, respectively. With respect to women rights violations in Sindh, the Commission documented at least 114 cases. Sexual harassment, domestic violence, illegal occupation on property, inhumane treatment as workers and labourers, as well as murder led as the most pertinent challenges for women across Sindh. Considering the rising incidents of suicides in the province recently, especially in Tharparker, the Commission visited the district. SHRC met with stakeholders and held sessions with local communities in an effort to understand the causes behind the suicides. Even though the key findings behind suicides in the district were identified as related to poverty and marginalization, poor mental health was also observed to be an issue. Therefore, the Commission considered it necessary to look into the challenges of mental health at a deeper level. Mental health relates to the right to health, right to life, and right to live with dignity. All of these rights are a part of Pakistan’s constitution, as well as the country’s obligations as a signatory to human rights charters in the world. Considering all of these dynamics, the Commission tried to initiate a discourse on mental health, comprehend its situation in Sindh and explore solutions to contain it. As a part of the dialogue on the subject, the Commission invited professionals and leading figures from the health sector to share their expertise regarding mental health in Pakistan, particularly focused on Sindh, as well as members of the civil society to share their viewpoint on the issue. In the Commission’s view, the deliberations will lead to the development of an informed discourse and recommendations on the issue, guiding the government in addressing mental health challenges in the province. Welcome note by Justice (Retd) Majida Razvi – Chairperson, SHRC The Chairperson of SHRC Justice (Retd) Majida Razvi welcomed the attendees at the event. During her welcomes note, the Chairperson spoke about the increase in awareness among the public regarding human rights. “Even the families living in the katcha areas of Shikarpur, with no roads and communication access, are reaching out to the Commission for the redressal of their grievances. Therefore, it has also led to an increase in our responsibilities,” she said. The Chairperson went on to share the details of the Commission’s work in the past two years which have been documented in its annual report. Apart from taking notice and actions on individual human rights Chairperson SHRC Justice (Retd) Majida Razvi speaks at the event violations, the Commission has held 3 several public hearings in different provincial districts, intervened in the cases of human rights violations pertaining to minorities, paid attention to the water and
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